Wise councils: Spacious and solid, ex-local authority houses can be a very good deal

'Buying a former local authority property will usually allow you into an area you might not have been able to afford otherwise,' says George Franks, of estate agency Douglas & Gordon. Another advantage of former council flats and houses is space - they tend to be considerably bigger than most of their private equivalents. Franks says most former local authority housing in the private sector consists of one and two-bedroom apartments in blocks and other flats in converted houses. Read more: